News Release

Lancaster County Adult Drug Court Awarded Close To 1.3 Million in Federal Grants
“Lancaster County Awarded Federal Grants to Enhance and Expand Services”

Lincoln, Nebraska – The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court is pleased to announce the awarding of two federal grants to enhance and expand services in Lancaster County. The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a $300,000, three year grant to provide additional staff to expand the current capacity of the Adult Drug Court from 60 to 105. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded a $325,000 per year grant for up to three years to enhance treatment services within the Adult Drug Court. Building on the success of the Matrix Model of substance abuse treatment, the focus of this grant is aimed at enhancing substance abuse and mental health treatment services to the Adult Drug Court participants.

SAMHSA and BJA are committed to building on the success of treatment drug courts by bolstering their ability to provide essential alcohol and drug treatment, recovery support, screening, assessment, case management, and program coordination services to thousands of people working to free themselves from lives of substance abuse and crime," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "These efforts are critically important since more than 60 percent of all people in state and federal prisons and local jails have substance abuse problems. By effectively addressing these substance abuse problems our nation can significantly reduce crime, lessen the burden on the criminal justice system and restore countless lives.

We know that drug courts are central to reducing drug abuse and to keeping communities safe. These grants will help communities launch new drug courts and enhance courts where they already exist," said Laurie O. Robinson, OJP’s Assistant Attorney General. "Our National Institute of Justice recently released preliminary findings from its five-year, multi-site evaluation of adult drug courts. The early analysis shows that after 6 months, and again after 18 months, drug court participants reported less drug-related and criminal activity.

The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court was implemented in June of 2001 to divert nonviolent, substance-abusing felony offenders into a comprehensive, judicially supervised program of substance-abuse treatment, frequent and observed drug testing, and intensive supervision to reduce recidivism. The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court has screened 802 people, accepted 342, and graduated 109 participants since its inception. The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court team includes District Court Judges Karen B. Flowers and Paul D. Merritt, Jr. and representatives of the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office, Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office, Lincoln Police Department, St. Monica’s Behavioral Health Services for Women, and Drug Court Staff under the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections. The team works in an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to provide comprehensive case-management, judicial oversight, and intensive community-based supervision.